Students are dropping out of college, and fast. Low enrollment numbers have spread throughout academic institutions across the country, and WSU Vancouver is proving to be no exception. With currently projected data showing a downward trend, student enrollment has decreased for both spring and fall 2021 semesters by as high as 30%.
(Photo courtesy of Domanic Thomas)
Domanic Thomas, vice chancellor for student affairs and enrollment, explains that just because enrollment numbers are low presently, does not necessarily mean they will continue to decrease rapidly over the next few months.
“Many transfer students are not applying for fall [2021] until February, March, April, some as late as June. The transfers who are coming to us in January are applying right now, and that is a much smaller group because there are not a ton of transfers that are going to start their classes in the middle of an academic year. … [Students] typically want to get a few classes here and there over the summer, but really start in the fall,” Thomas said.
Mel Netzhammer, WSU Vancouver’s chancellor, agrees the current numbers do not represent what final enrollment will look like since students were applying last minute even before the pandemic began.
“I think [low enrollment] stems from a combination of factors, the pandemic being one of those factors. The steep declines in community college enrollments prior to and during the pandemic is another factor. But one of the things we learned last fall is that students are making their decisions about whether to enroll at the last minute, so it’s impossible to predict actual enrollments for next year,” Netzhammer said.
Low enrollment could also be problematic for current students due to a decrease in funding. Certain university services would be limited if fewer deposits are coming in from admitted students.
“We do a deep analysis and try to make the institution as efficient as possible. If we are in a low enrollment environment, I think the adjustment and reconsiderations that we would do would differ in terms of maybe having limited hours at the library because of lower funding, but that also results in fewer students having jobs, hours and employment,” Thomas said.
Laurel Rea, associate vice chancellor for enrollment, works with Thomas in student affairs and explains enrollment numbers during the spring semester tend to fluctuate depending on transfer applications. Rea states the upcoming spring semester has fewer students enrolling and while transfer applications are normally down by 20%, the numbers have increased to 30%. However, she is hopeful that the gap might close because incoming freshmen may be holding off on submitting applications.
“What we are hearing from our recruiters and admissions counselors is that high school seniors are overwhelmed with just trying to get through their day to day in high school, in the virtual environment and they are delaying their decisions. Some are delaying their decisions because they want to wait and see if schools will be in-person for the fall, versus online,” Rea said.
Standard recruitment strategies involve sending recruiters to high schools and junior colleges to promote outreach and build connections, but these strategies cannot be done normally during the COVID-19 pandemic. To promote enrollment in a virtual world, Rea has implemented new strategies that will hopefully make applying easier for students.
“The virtual tour has been a really significant shift for us. We also implemented a chat feature on our admissions website, which is seeing some good usage. So that has been another way for students to more easily connect in real time versus setting up an appointment. Many times they are chatting about an application question which is exactly what we want. We want to be able to help students as soon as we can with the process where they are stuck,” Rea said.
Some reasons students are taking time off involves being uncomfortable around the idea of online instruction. However, Thomas explains this may hurt students in the long run as the pandemic could make telecommuting the new status quo for working in the professional world.
“We have a bunch of students who are potentially going to be at an extreme disadvantage. I think if those vulnerable populations and those historically underserved populations of students of color and first-gen students are not going to enroll in college, they’re going to be hurt twice over,” Thomas said. “My preaching to many students that I work with is, ‘I understand this may not be ideal for you, but welcome to what the future will be.’ Because if you think this is the last time you are going to be in a working environment online, you are kidding yourself. This is part of our future.”
Even if students are certain they are going to take a break from classes, Rea recommends they still take steps to plan for fall enrollment in case they change their mind.
“It is too soon to make that decision to wait a year and I encourage students to still fill out their FAFSA because you cannot decide after the fact that you want to go. Our message is to keep students on the path towards attending in the fall,” Rea said.
Preparing for an unknown future is all anyone can do, including Chancellor Netzhammer, who is aware that we cannot completely go back to a pandemic-free world anytime soon.
“The effects of the pandemic will be long lasting. How that will affect 2022 enrollments is an open question. I do think we need to be prepared for shifts in enrollment. Students will want more flexibility to take courses face-to-face or online. We will need to look at new ways to serve students and meet their needs. If we do that, I have confidence we will be able to meet our enrollment goals,” Netzhammer said.
Attending classes during a global pandemic is a struggle for many, and might continue to be so as long as classes continue to be held online. Virtual instruction might not be everyone’s first choice, but staff and faculty advise students to remain resilient and positive. Low enrollment might present itself as a downward trend, but there is still hope students can see the benefits of online education, and continue moving forward.